Lead Dental Assistant

Summary

The Eastern Oklahoma VA Health Care System is hiring one Lead Dental Assistant located in Muskogee - OK.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

• Citizenship:
  Citizenship of the United States (non‑citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with chapter 3 – section A – paragraph 3g).
• Experience:
  
  Six months of experience that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work – or provides familiarity with the work.
• Education:
  
  Successful completion of a 1‑year dental assistant program accredited by the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
• Experience/Education Combination:
  Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.
• Certification:
  Radiologic certification requirements, including successful completion of the Dental Radiation Health and Safety Examination administered by the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) or related courses; basic life support methods highly desirable; DANB certification recognized by the ADA.
• Grade Requirements: GS‑7 Lead Dental Assistant Experience – at least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level demonstrating core competencies.
• Technical KSAs:
  Advanced knowledge of dental assisting across multiple areas, coordination of clinical workflow, guidance and oversight of staff dental assistants, liaison responsibilities, and professional consultation.

• Performs mouth‑mirror inspection of the oral cavity and gathers diagnostic information.
• Charts existing restoration and conditions.
• Selects shades for fixed and removable prostheses.
• Places and removes rubber dams, matrix bands, retraction cord, temporary restoration, and surgical dressings.
• Fabricates, adjusts, and cements temporary crowns and removes permanent cement from supragingival surfaces.
• Assists with vitality testing and applies topical anesthetic at injection sites.
• Monitors and performs basic interpretation of patient vital signs (BP, pulse, pulse oximeter) during invasive treatment and recovery.
• Performs coronal polishing of teeth and removes hard accretions from removable prostheses.
• Sets up operatory or surgery suite for planned procedures and cleans dental unit for timely turnover.
• Assists in routine general and specialized dental procedures (oral surgery, endodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant placement and restoration) using four‑handed dentistry concepts.
• Prepares dental medicaments and impression materials per manufacturer’s instructions; takes impressions for diagnostic casts and preliminary prosthetic fabrication.
• Provides procedure‑specific patient‑preventative education and oral hygiene instruction.
• Assists in maintaining routine and specialty dental equipment per manufacturer instructions and dental service standards.
• Copies and initiates computerized progress notes, assists dentist in charting findings and treatment plans in patient records.
• Assists in filling gaps in the dentist’s schedule due to late cancellations and failed appointments.
• Exposes and provides instruction on advanced imaging techniques (cone beam, cephalometric, advanced panoramic imaging, TMJ).
• Maintains infection‑control procedures in setting up and cleaning operatories; disinfects oral appliances and prepares instruments for sterilization.

Work Schedule:

7:00 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Friday (four days total). Pay:
Competitive salary and regular salary increases; higher step rate may be determined for higher qualifications. Paid Time Off: 37–50 days annual paid time (13–26 days leave, 13 days sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays). Parental Leave: up to 12 weeks paid after 12 months of employment. Child Care Subsidy: eligible after 60 days of employment for families below $144,000. Retirement:
Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401(k) with up to 5% VA contributions. Insurance:
Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long‑term care. This position is not virtual.